Significance of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF-D in the Progression of Cutaneous Melanoma

Abstract

Our findings show the significance of VEGF-C in tumor cells in the induction of intratumoral and peritumoral lymphangiogenesis. This study suggests that both VEGF-C and VEGF-D in tumor cells promote lymph node metastasis, and that the immunohistochemical analysis of expression can be a useful tool for predicting clinical behavior of cutaneous melanoma.